Search form

American Board Teacher Certification Program

For CCCB students and alumni who would like to be public school teachers, the options are usually expensive and time-consuming. But in 12 states, including Missouri, there is now a less expensive and quicker way for our students and alumni to become teachers. The American Board is a non-profit organization established in 2001 through funding from the US Department of Education and endorsed by Arizona,Florida, Idaho, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Utah as an official route to teacher licensure. Those who have graduated or will soon graduate from Central with a bachelor's degree are eligible to participate in this affordable, flexible program. Students who want to pursue this program while enrolled at Central can include it as part of a Teacher Preparation Certificate. It can also be included as part of a minor in Communication or History.

American Board provides preparation for teaching in the following areas: Elementary Education, Biology, Chemistry, English Language Arts, General Science, History, Math, and Physics. To find out which subjects are accepted in a specific state, please visit abcte.org/teach. The preparation and testing process takes less than a year and can be completed during a student's senior year of college or after a bachelor's degree has been earned. Once a teacher is licensed, he or she may add other areas of certification by passing the appropriate PRAXIS test with a currently acceptable score.

The normal cost of the American Board PLUS+ program is $2300. Alumni of CCCB receive an exclusive discount during special promotional periods. Current students may add this partnership to a bachelor's degree and complete it simultaneously with the final year of bachelor's degree coursework.

Licensure with ABCTE does not require a bachelor's degree in a particular field, but does require a 4 year degree with a cumulative GPA of at least 2.5.

To find out more about becoming a teacher with American Board, tell us about yourself: